End of The Tunnel—A Story That Will Make Your Day
The fabricated case that led to his life imprisonment could only be overturned by the power of his positive thoughts.
Story: S A Spencer
Photo by Wil Stewart
As the day began, there was an undeniable sense of
excitement in the air. Tiffany slipped into her beautiful dress and gazed at
herself in the full-length dresser mirror. Her heart raced as she thought about
finally being reunited with her sweetheart after four years of separation. A separation
neither she nor Jerry planned. Her heart jumped inside her ribs. How would Jerry
be after four years of unfair imprisonment in a prison of Pacific Island nation
Sambora? Should she look happy or dejected?
This dress was Jerry’s favourite.
Tiffany hoped that the memories of their love would remain intact in Jerry’s
mind, despite the years of torture he endured.
“Where are we going Mum?” Ava
asked when Tiffany pulled out a matching dress from the robe for her four and
half year-old daughter. This morning, only a woman from the Department of
Foreign Affairs called and told Jerry was already on a flight back home. She
hoped it’s not too good to be true. After hearing the news, she prayed to God
and kept expressing her thanks over and over again.
“We are going to the airport to
bring your dad. Now, be a good girl and put this on.”
Ava held the dress, “Are we going
to bring a new dad? Like Julie’s mum did?” Her eyes glinting the same way when
they go to buy a new toy.
Tiffany was at a loss for words.
Her own heart was racing as if she would fly and meet Jerry inside the plane. Each
event in the past five years passed through her mind like a scene of a movie.
She looked at her watch; she was early to be ready. Eagerness bounced in her
veins.
“No, my child, not a new dad. She
is your dad.” She looked at their couple photo on the side table. “See, your
dad.” She had always told Ava her father had gone on a long trip. But somehow, the
girl had lost interest in him. Maybe because she never saw him.
Jerry had been to Sambora, the
small Pacific Island nation on a journalism trip. He was the Pacific reporter
for True TV. Each evening, the first thing he did when he got back to the hotel
room was call Tiffany. That evening, she didn’t receive any communication. She
had a reason not to be worried. He was supposed to be on the return flight the
same evening. And in Sydney by ten at night.
She called Jerry. As per her calculation,
he should have checked in and waiting in the departure area of Witara Airport
of Sambora. The call clicked to his voicemail. Poor island nation must have
weak mobile signal. By eleven at night, when she didn’t hear from him, she was worried.
The plane had already landed in Sydney airport. Jerry should have been at least
in the car after immigration formalities.
Worried, she called his manager.
“Sorry Mr. Daniel for waking you up at such an hour, Do you have any news from Jerry?”
Daniel didn’t appear to be in
bed. “I… me…” his voice was breaking. “In fact, I was awake and trying to find
what happened.”
A shiver passed through Tiffany. She
had checked on the internet, the plane had landed in time. Did Jerry miss the
flight? But why?
“Daniel, please tell me. Did he
miss the flight? I have been trying to contact him since the afternoon but
going to his voicemail.”
“Don’t worry, Tiffany. I am
contacting the embassy. We will do everything to release him as soon as
possible. In fact, I was talking to someone regarding this.”
Release? The word didn’t sink in.
“Release whom? Why?”
“That was the reason I didn’t
contact you. I thought to tell you after Jerry is released. The police in Sambora
have taken in into custody. I am trying to figure out why.”
“Which shoes do I wear, Mummy? Do
you reckon dad will like my dress?”
Tiffany came back to her world. The
dreaded message from Daniel still echoed in her ears as she made her way to the
wardrobe.
Her daughter would see her father,
who was absent when she was born.
Thoughts of Jerry’s detention in
Sambora kept creeping into Tiffany’s mind, making it hard to stay present.
By next morning, the entire country
had understood why. Jerry’s TV programs, which showcased Geronimo’s dissenters,
had put him in the crosshairs of the tension between the two countries. They
accused him of rape.
His employer, True TV, refused to
take responsibility for the matter, claiming that it had nothing to do with the
business he was conducting on their behalf. Tiffany was sure the foreign
government framed him for the rape case. She tried to fight against it, but it
didn’t make any headway.
Her
well-wishers suggested that she should obtain a unilateral divorce and find
another man, as they were unsure of how long her husband would be trapped in
the dictator’s prison. Tiffany ignored everything with a smile. How could she
ditch a man who loved her so unconditionally?
Tiffany eagerly awaited on the
exit lobby of Sydney airport. The plane had already landed.
“When will daddy arrive?” Ava was
asking question after question, and Tiffany had no answers for most of them.
“He’s coming out any minute now,
sweetie. Would you hug and kiss him?”
“I don’t know. Will he love me?”
“Of course, he is your dad.”
A familiar face arose from the
crowd. Tiffany’s breath caught in her throat.
She hadn’t told any of her
friends she was going to receive Jerry. She wished for a private couple reunion.
Jerry came forward and took Ava
in his arms. “I love you, baby. You don’t know how I missed you for so many
years.” His eyes pooled.
Ava looked at him curiously while
in his arms. Jerry inched closer to Tiffany, his hand outstretched, but
stopped. She was expecting he would hug and kiss him.
“Thanks Tiffany, for bringing my
daughter to me when I arrived. You are a great mother and I have no problem you
continue the custody of her. Can I get a chance for a weekly visit to my
daughter?”
“Custody? What are you saying?” She
could feel the sting of tears behind her eyes as she tried to hold back her
emotions.
Jerry’s eyes moistened. “You have
done unilateral divorce. That’s okay, I was in prison. But I just want to let
you know I didn’t commit any such crime. The dictator’s men fabricated the case
against me to revenge my reporting. I wish you all the best with your new
partner.”
Tiffany lunged forward and
tightly grasped Jerry’s arm. “Which divorce? When did I divorce you? What are
you talking?”
“You didn’t?” a glow appeared on
his face. Inhaling deeply, he pulled her close in a warm embrace. She hugged
him tightly, feeling the warmth of his lips on her cheek. “I am so happy I am
not single. Prison authorities told me you have sent papers for unilateral
divorce. And then after some months told me divorce is done.”
“Didn’t you ask for those papers?
You can recognise my signature, I think.”
“No, they didn’t give me
anything. Only told me. And the way I was being treated, I believed them. I’m
sorry.”
Together, they walked to the car
park, their hands clasped.
On the way home Tiffany asked in
the car, “I am happy you are still healthy after years of in the prison. But if
you wish, we can go for counselling.”
“Counselling for what?” Jerry
asked. “I am perfectly healthy.”
“How did you maintain your
health? That too, despite so many unfortunate events in your life?”
The car stopped at a signal. Jerry
let out a humourless chuckle, barely audible. “I knew it was a life-imprisonment
and I would never see freedom without a miracle. I imagined I was with you and my
daughter, whom I had never seen. Even though I was convinced you had divorced
me. I used to take slow and deep breaths day in and day out, and imagine myself
with you and enjoying life. That was the only thing left for me, being indulged
in imaginary happy moments. It seemed like the miracle would never happen, but
finally, it did. The dictator died and the new guys cleared my name, saying I
was innocent and the whole thing was just revenge. They even issued me a letter
that I was not guilty.”
The traffic signal became green. Pedalling
the accelerator, Tiffany said a quick prayer to God under her breath. “Yes,
this is a miracle.”
“Did you ever think of leaving
me? Knowing that I may never return?”
“Friends suggested. But when I
asked my soul, it said ‘no’. I also imagined your presence time and again. And
the universe did everything to bring our souls together again.”
As they drove, a sense of bliss
descended upon them, making the world outside seem brighter and more beautiful.
All Stories on this Blog Site are purely a work of fiction and any resemblance to anyone or any incident is purely a coincidence.
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